16/8 Intermittent Fasting Success Stories

This post is going to be one not highlighting my own success. (Although if you want, you can read about my success with fasting here.)

But today, I thought I would spread the word on other women who were able to see great success with intermittent fasting. Let’s some 16/8 intermittent fasting success stories!

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“My weight just kept creeping up over a long period, though it may have accelerated somewhat during my pregnancy with my son when I definitely over-ate, and then continued to do so afterwards. I made some half-hearted attempts to get it under control but could not stick to anything and had resigned myself to ever-increasing girth and an early grave as I had developed high blood pressure and joint and muscle problems, and what I think was signs of trigeminal neuralgia. By October I was around 105kg (over 16 stone; 230lbs) “

Caroline’s initial approach to fasting and weight loss was the 5:2 diet.

For those of you that are unaware, the 5:2 diet is another method of fasting, which allows you to eat normally for 5 days, then requires that you restrict your calories on 2 days to just 500-600 calories.

While it’s not my particular cup of tea (I think restricting yourself to 500-600 calories would be extremely taxing mentally) it has been proven effective for some people.

Caroline followed the 5:2 diet for 8 months, rock solid – which is incredibly impressive. But afterwards, she wanted a change.

“I decided that it would be convenient for me to skip breakfast and follow the 16:8 fasting pattern (in which one eats only during an 8-hour ‘eating window’ each day and fasts for the remaining 16 hours).”

Now you’re talking my language. This is the standard version of Intermittent Fasting diet plan that drew her in.

Now, normally, after 8 months of having followed a strict diet, you would expect someone’s results to slow down. But when Caroline switched to Intermittent Fasting, she saw the opposite occur.

“It worked spectacularly well and I lost a further 1kg over my 3-week holiday which would normally have resulted in a 2kg or so gain!”

Caroline kept meticulous track of her macros, and knew that even while on vacation, following the 5:2 diet over 3 weeks would have lead her to gain 2kg (which is 4.4 pounds).

Instead, she approached it with the 16/8 Intermittent Fasting method and ended up losing 1kg (2.2 pounds).

That’s a 3 kg (6.6 pounds) difference in where she would have been on the 5:2 diet and where she ended up thanks to Intermittent Fasting! Now that’s what I called a success story.

And Caroline seems to agree –

” I was so happy with the 16:8 fasting style, I decided to continue with it and I now intend to carry on for the foreseeable future.”

Fantastic to see Caroline join the ranks of other women doing Intermittent Fasting.

Oh, and a word of precaution for anyone trying the 5:2 diet. It looks like it was as indeed as I surmised.

“The only disadvantages I found was that when I was doing 5:2 fasting, I could not sleep on the evening of a fast day. I sleep badly anyway and the fast days were very bad for my insomnia. Happily this is not a problem with 16:8 and so that problem is solved. “

Now this success story has gone more than just a little viral, with Sumaya even being featured on the Megyn Kelly show.

“My name is Sumaya and thanks to Intermittent Fasting (or IF for short), in 7.5 months I’ve dropped 50 pounds, 10.5% in body fat and 40 inches around my body. These results are entirely as a result of IF as I was unable to exercise for the first several months due to a fractured foot.”

The most incredible part of this is that she lost this weight without exercising for the most part. While I personally push for people to take the time to work out (I like everything being firm and bikini ready), this proves that you don’t have to workout to see fantastic weight loss results.

Sumaya is also a testiment to the flexibility of Intermittent Fasting, as she created a 4:3 fasting style. She would eat 4 days of the week, and then fast for 3 non-consecutive days.

SUNDAY: Eat Day // I eat as I normally would throughout the day and I begin my fast at 9 pm PT (this means I stop eating or drinking anything with calories).

MONDAY: Fast Day // On fast days I only drink coffee, tea, non-caloric drinks and water. I add a little half & half in my coffee, and those are the only calories I consume on fast days. If/when I feel hunger pains on fast days, I drink a bottle/can of sparkling water and that helps me get through the day.

TUESDAY: Eat Day // I break my fast at 9 am PT. I eat my full day of meals.

Sound familiar? This is a unique combination of the 5:2 diet and intermittent fasting. (If you’re looking for tips on what to eat/drink even while fasting, check out this guide).

Honestly, I would dare to argue against this. As we saw with Caroline, the days of full fasting can have a serious toll on your mental health. However, the 5:2 diet requires that you fast 2 days in a row. Maybe the fact that Sumaya would fast nonconsecutive days is the difference maker?

The main takeaway from Sumaya’s journey is that Intermittent Fasting can be worked to your specifications, and that meticulously keeping track of your data can be a big help.

“I’ve spent most of my adult life in a size 12/14 weighing a little more than I do now give or take. I started IF wearing size 10 jeans. This past summer I bought all new clothes in a size 8. Now they are all too big. I had to buy smaller underwear for the first time in my adult life.”

Way to go Kela from South Carolina!

Kela’s journey isn’t too detailed in the specifics of how she took on Intermittent Fasting, but I like that. There’s something to be said for candid review of the system – she’s speaking straight from the heart.

And of course, there is something good to take away from it all.

“I truly eat whatever I want during my window. I am REALLY good at delaying, knowing I don’t have to deny. During the work week, I pretty much stick to OMAD. “

OMAD, AKA One Meal A Day, is a strategy for Intermittent Fasting that we’ve already covered in another blog post!

“My food preferences have definitely been the biggest change since starting IF. I’m not opposed to cake and sweets but I’m not as dependent on sugar as I once was. I used to NEED something sweet after eating or I would get shaky. I struggled with hypoglycemia on a regular basis…but not once in the last 365 days, even when donating blood. I crave veggies and quality proteins. “

Kela has recognized that Intermittent Fasting would enable her to still eat the foods she likes, but has made the decision herself to stop eating them. Like a stack of dominos, one knocking down lead to another.

She improved her lifestyle through Intermittent Fasting, then sought to make changes in her diet as well. Now she’s about as healthy as can be.

Here you go, a few of my favorite 16/8 Intermittent Fasting success stories, all of which showcase how flexible the program really is.

Hopefully you’ve learned a new tactic or strategy that you can use in your own approach to Intermittent Fasting. If you’re still looking for more inspiration, don’t forget to check out my own results and how I lost 50 pounds with 16/8 IF, or you can give reading the Eat Stop Eat book, the ultimate intermittent fasting guide, a try.